


What Troubles You?

by emlavellan



Series: Skyhold [4]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Canon Dialogue, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Insomnia, Lavellan/Solas Fluff (Dragon Age), Microfic, Pining Solas (Dragon Age), Skyhold (Dragon Age), Solas is Lavellan's best friend, Solas loves Lavellan, The Anchor (Dragon Age)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:07:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25151347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emlavellan/pseuds/emlavellan
Summary: Emmaera Lavellan's hand is in pain and she cannot sleep in the aftermath of her journey to the Fade. As she walks through Skyhold in the middle of the night, she encounters Solas, who helps relieve the pain, brings her tea, and tells her stories to help her fall asleep.
Series: Skyhold [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1671562
Kudos: 3





	What Troubles You?

Emmaera lay awake in her large bed. The partially opened balcony door at the head of her room let in a chilling breeze that crawled up her skin. A sharp pain seized her left hand, causing her to flinch and clutch it closely to her chest.

Breath catching, she lifted herself onto her elbows to look past the balcony door into the night. The silver moon was high in the black sky. Her night so far had been a haze of dull pain and racing thoughts, with no end in sight. The faint green glow that emanated from her hand made her stomach turn. The color, once almost mundane, now called to mind the sickly green that had surrounded and permeated her in the Fade. She shuddered at the thought and stood abruptly, grabbing a light shawl from her table and stepping onto the dark staircase below.

Mind absent, her bare feet carried her automatically through the main hall of Skyhold as they had done so many times before. She passed through the front entrance and stopped, hugging her arms to her chest and surveying the courtyard below. Though usually full of bustling people - messengers running back and forth, merchants selling their wares, visitors seeking the ear of the Inquisition - it was now empty and silent. She felt as if she were in another world, or perhaps a dream.

Her gaze drifted to the window she knew to be Cullen’s, studying it for any signs of light or movement, and finding only darkness. He was most likely asleep. Still, he always provided a good listening ear, and surely he wouldn’t mind if she woke him up. Perhaps if she -

_“Nual’ahn-na, lethal’lin?”_

Startled, she wheeled and saw Solas calmly walking from the hall to stand beside her. She hadn’t seen any light in his room as she had passed, but then again, she hadn’t been looking.

“Nothing. Or everything. I’m not sure.” She watched his eyes drop to where she was clutching her pained hand without realizing. She let go, self-conscious.

“Does the mark pain you?”

“Sometimes, but it’s been worse since we returned from the Fade. Our journey there was….trying. Truthfully, I have not slept much since.” She started to turn back to the courtyard but was interrupted by the gentle grasp of his hand on hers.

“May I?” He raised her hand and inspected the green glowing mark. “I may be able to ease the pain temporarily.” He closed his eyes and murmured Elvhen words so low that even Emmaera could not hear or understand. Relief spread from his fingertips and the glowing light dimmed.

“Thank you”, she breathed. “That feels much better.” She looked past him and finally noticed dim light flickering from the rotunda. “Have you been awake all this time?”

“Yes. I’m working on some research. Would you… like tea?” His words were clumsy, unused to pleasantries.

“Yes, please.”

They walked to the rotunda, where she was unsurprised to find a smattering of papers and books strewn about his desk. She reclined on her favorite chaise as he left to procure the tea. Comfortable and drowsy, Emmaera studied the large frescoes on the wall, and noticed a new, unfinished panel. Solas appeared to be painting their deeds at Adamant and the Fade. She frowned. She couldn’t escape it, even here.

When Solas returned and handed her a cup of piping tea, she sat up and sipped it while bemusedly watching him busy himself with his work. He reminded her of a mouse foraging for bits of food, picking up pieces to inspect and hastily dropping them to move onto something else. After a time he appeared to find what he was looking for in a large brown book, and settled down to read. 

She finished her tea and laid back down on the chaise. The warmth of the candlelight felt luxurious as it enveloped her like a blanket. She closed her eyes and sighed contentedly, feeling at ease for the first time in a long time.

“Tell me a story. I’d like to hear more about what you saw in your exploration of the Fade.” She opened one eye to observe his reaction.

“I would be happy to share it with you,” he said, laying aside the book and folding his hands together.

“Tell me about a spirit you encountered.”

He pondered for a moment, then said, “I met a friendly spirit who observed the dreams of village girls as love first blossomed in their adolescence.”

Emmaera watched the candle next to him as he spoke. She allowed her gaze to focus and unfocus, observing mildly how the color of the flame matched the rich oranges and golds of the frescoes behind it.

“With subtlety, she steered them all to village boys with gentle hearts who returned their love with gentle kindness.”

She smiled at the thought. Adolescent love. Gentle spirits. Goodness in the world. Solas’ voice drifted through the room, feeling farther and farther away with every word he spoke.

“The Matchmaker, so I called her. That small village never knew its luck.”

Emmaera closed her eyes, letting the color she saw behind her lids shift from orange, to red, to black. In time, her breathing steadied and her hand dropped to her side. Solas smiled and returned to his book.

**Author's Note:**

> Nual’ahn-na, lethal’lin? - "what troubles you, my friend?"  
> This is a phrase I created using vocab and grammar rules from Project Elvhen.


End file.
